Shower enclosure



lApril 24, 1945. L.. H. LEHMAN 2,374,490 I SHOWER ENcLosURE Filed Marchv12, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l la la JLOUIS H. LEHMAN a?, n A 2@ 2 M WM j@ MmApril 24, 1945. L. H. LEAMAN 2,374,490

' SHOWER ENGLOSURE Filed March 12, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 LQuls HLEHMAN Hajj Patented Apr. 1945 z: fr Il inventionV relatesffgenerallyto" shower an application of the `present invention to a bath#venclosures and*v moreparticularly to animproved tub shower;

construction' of=` slidingdoonwhiclris` adaptedfor Figure 2 is aperspective view of" the' lower guideuseinA conjunction witlwi'`compartmentandbathtrackA 'for the shower-enclosing doors;

tub showers: f" "j 5 Figure 3` isa vertical sectionalview taken alongAmong" the* principal objects-of: theipres'ent in; the line 3 3 ofFigure 1; Y

vention is to provide an arrangemeniv `a Figure l 'is a "partialelevational view; with pairy of slidably' mountedL glass paneleddiiors'are certainy parts shown in section, of the construcempl'oyed' to.complete theA shower en'closurejthe tion shjown in Figure 3;

v presentl invention:

arrangementA being such` as to* nsuref-'notfonly m Figure 5 is a partialelevational view, withicersmooth, easyi andi-quiet-operation'ioiffthedoors l y tain parts shown in section, offa modiied` erninMtheopening and closing `of* tli'e same; but also bodiment of the presentinvention; f Y lao-insure againstl'eakageiofwater'across-thebot- Figure6 is a horizontal sectional; viewof the tomed'ges vof thel doors; Inthislatter regard, construction shown inFigure 5*; thepresentinventionhasasits further `object' the 15 "Figure 'iuris' avertical sectional.viewtaken on provision ofl a` specially" designedguide track `for the line T T of Figure 5*;

the doors which is adapted" tobereadily installed Figure 8 is a ypartialelevational'view, with cer along the outer longitudinal edge*ofi-a-fbath'tub tain parts shown in section;` of a stilll further or asthethresholdpieceof *al` shower comparti modified embodiment of thepresent invention;`

without requiringitliepdrilling ofholesfinltheedge Figure 9-s a'verticalsectional View taken on ofu the' bath-tubior inetheoorof'"thetshowertheiline 9-9of Figure f l 1 compartment. l Y l. Y `I f l Referringnowtothe drawingslandj more par- Al further" and importantobjectfof-'gtheepresent ticularly to Figures f1 to 4 thereof, it will beinvention is to provid'efa'slidngldoor"arrafnge 25 observed that thesliding door arrangement as ment wherein the doors aire`eCiu-illf'dfwith` conconstructed in accordance with and embodyingcealed" rollers-'and' wherein@` a"specfally"dsigned the principles ofthe present invention includes track -isprovidedy forlsaidrollerstoi-insuren'ot a pair ofglass panel doors IU and IIwhich'are' only smooth and quietoperationfofthejlatterfbut adapted toserveV as the openable enclosure for alfsoto facilitatedrainingftheitrack of fan-yjwater 30 the bath-tub type of shower shown in` FigureV 1.

that may-tend toaccumula'te-lthereinl 1 -w In this type of shower; thebath-tub` I2lis per- Still another object is'tof'provida-'guiiletraclmanently enclosed along three of' its sides by the fortheroller-equipped` sliding dborsliaving-upvertically extending `walls I3,I4 and I5 to pro- Starldng rails `alongA which the rollers tIaVel, thevide aV showeri compartment wherein the tub4 |12 constructionofthe trackbeing such as* toelimi- 35 serves asthe receptacle `for the waste`shower nate the Open guide Channels which'have been water. I Theopenside "of this compartment is employed heretoforeV more or lessconventionally that Whichisadaptedftobe IenClO-Sedbythe slid. and inwhich dirt and sedimenttends to accumuing doors' IU and* II, it beingnotedI in this conflate to render them quite unsanitary.v nection thatthese doors" are guided along their Still other objects and `advantagesof the pres- 40 lower edgesbya lower guide track I6 and along Ientinvention, such as the provision of a slidingr their upper edgesbyanupper trackorguide I'I. door arrangementwhich'is simple in construc-Then lowertrack II6; which is shown' in perspec tion, relativelyinexpensive to manufacture and tive in Figure" 2g``is mounted andextends along install, durable and efcient in useand sightly irl` theouter longitudinal edge or rim of the bathappearance; willV appear morefully hereinafter, it 45 tub |12", the'oppo'site endsofV the track beingsebeinfg understood thatthe present invention concured in any suitablemanner to the opposite sists substantially in the combination,co'nstruc- Walls I3 and I5 of the'shower enclosure. Theup tion-,location and relativearrangement `of'parts',` per guide I1 also extendsbetween the-walls I3 all as described in detail hereinafter, as shownand lfwith' its opposite ends Ysecured 'thereto in in the accompanyingdrawings and afs `finally 50 any' suitable manner, it being understood,of`

pointed-out in the appendedlclaims. I course, that the said lower`traclrIi and the up- In theaccompanying drawings, wliich are illusperguide II are disposed in vertically spaced trativeV of certain preferredembodiments of the I parallel'relationl I 3' The sliding doors IllfandI'I are ofsubstan- Figure I isa front elevationalfviewshowing @5Itiallysimilar construction; each being provided with a frame withinwhich is fitted a panel of glass or other such material. The doors I andII are each of a width slightly exceeding half the overall width of theopening vbetween the walls I3 and I5 of the shower enclosure, the doordimensions being such that they may be moved in opposite directions toconjointly close completely the front opening of the shower enclosure.

As appears most clearly in Figure 2, the lower track I6 for the slidingdoors I0 and II is provided with'a relativelyl broad main base member I8upon which are integrally formed a pair of laterally spaced, paralleltrack elements I9 and 2.0, the opposite ends of each of these trackelements terminating short of the corresponding ends of the base I8. Thebase I8 of the track is provided along each of its longitudinallyextending edges with depending flanges 2I-2I so as to provide the trackbase with a downwardly the track base I8 and the rim of the bath-tub islled with a caulking material. The outer longitudinal edge of the trackis provided with an upstanding flange 23 which rises somewhat abovethetop surfaces of the track elements I9 and 20 and serves as a splashplate for preventingr water that may accumulate upon the track frompassing outwardly thereof. The track elements I9 and 2U are eachprovided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced weep holes 24 topermit free drainage of water from the outer sides of each track elementtoward and into the tub, it being observed in this connection that byterminating the track elements short of the opposite ends of the mainbase I8 of the track, water that may be accumulated on the track memberbetween the track elements I9 and 20 may flow freely into the tub notonly by way of the weep holes 24, but also through the clear spaceprovided at opposite ends of the track elements. The arrangement thusprovides for ready and adequate cleaning of any water and other matterthat may accumulate between the track elements -I9 and 20 and betweenthe track element I9 and the outer splash flange 23.

, The doors I0 and II are respectively mounted i site extremity thereof,the arrangement being such that the roller bearings 21 rest on thetrackelements I9 and 20 and so support the doors for sliding movement therealong. In order to prevent lateral displacement of the doors I0 and IIfrom their respective tracks I9 and 20, the opposite walls of thevertical rails 28-28 of each door are extended downwardly slightly belowthe top surfaces of the track elements I9 and 20, these downwardlyextending parts of the side rails -being most clearly shown in Figure 3wherein they are designated bythe reference numeral 29.

The upper guide header I'I for the'doors` is of the cross-section mostclearly shown in Figure 3 wherein it will be observed that it is ofgenerally double channel section, the bottoms of the channels 30 and 3|being each formed with longitudinally extending, relatively narrowopenings 32 and 33.

Secured to the top rails of each of the doors I0 and II are a pair oflongitudinally spaced guide members 34, each of the latter beingpreferably in the form of a fiat plate havingan enlarged head formedalong its free extremity. The guide elements 34 are suitably secured tothe ,upper rails of the doors I0 and II, preferably in the manner shownin Figure 3 by the transversely extending screws 36, the arrangementbeing such that the flat portions 34 of the guide members are adapted toride freely along the slots 32 and 33 of the upper guide header Il withthe enlarged heads 35 disposed within the channels 30 and 3| of theheader. The mem-bers 34 thus permit free movement of the doors I0 and Illongitudinally of the header Il While preventing lateral displacementtherefrom. The enlarged heads 35 of the upper guide shoes 34 serve tosupport the door from the header I'I should the bottom edge of the doorbe accidentally dislodged from its supporting track element.

It will be understood that to assemble the upper safety shoes 34 inoperative relation with respect to the header II and the doors I0 and Ilas shown in Figure 3, the said shoes are first slipped lengthwise intothe header before the latter is mounted in place. Thereafter thedepending loWer portions of these shoes are tted into the slots 3lsuitably provided therefor in the upper rails of the doors wherein theyare secured bythe transversely extending screws 36.

Instead of fitting the doors with roller bearings as shown in Figures 3and 4, and which bearings are journaled upon shafts 38 extendingtransversely between the opposite side walls of the bottom channel 26 ofthe doors, a modified arrangement of supporting roller for the door may'be employed, such as is shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7.

In this modified arrangement, each door is slid@ ably supported aboveits ytrack element by a pair of intervening rollers 40-4I which aresecured together in longitudinally spaced relation by a suitablecarriage 42. consists of a longitudinally extending rod 43, the oppositeends of which are fitted with yokes 44-44 having transverse shafts 45-45upon which the rollers 40 and 4I are respectively journaled. Thedistance between the centers of the rollers40 and 4I equalsapproximately half the width wof the door and inasmuch as the door isvfreeto moverelatively to the rollers while the rollers in turn are freeto move relatively to the track element above which the door `ismounted, the door movesy twicethe distance traversed by the rollers.Consequently, when one of the doors is inv its extreme position, eitherfully closed or fully opened, it' may be readily .shifted to its.opposite extreme position upon the rollers 40 and 4I with the lattermoving only half the distance actually traversed by the door. As in themodication shown in Figures 3 and4, the side walls of the oppositevertical rails of the door extend slightly downward as at 46, below thetop edge of the track element above which the door is mounted to prevent,lateral displacement of the door with respect yto said Vtrack element.lj

Figures 8 and 9 show still another modification of the present inventionwherein-instead of the roller bearings of Figures 3 and 4 xedly mountedwithin the lower channels of the door, a pair of This carriagepreferablyA loose rollers 41 and 48 are employed. 'Ihese rollers 41 and48 are suitably disposed within the lower channel 49 of each of thedoors Sil-50a, the upper wall of this channel being provided midway ofits length with a downwardly projecting septiun 52 which serves topartition the channel into two longitudinally spaced parts respectivelydesignated 53 and 54. Inasmuch as the rollers 41 and 48 are freelydisposed respectively within the channeled portions 53 and 54, it willbe apparent that as the door 50 is moved in one direction or anotheralong its supporting track 28, it moves relatively to the rollers 41 and48 while the latter rotate relatively to the said track 26. Ihe actionthus is on the order of that of the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6the difference being that the rollers 41 and 48 are not tied together bya carriage as in the latter arrangement. Thus, when the door `5l) is atits extreme left hand limit as shown in Figure 8, the rollers 41 'and 48assume the position shown in that figure. However, when the door isshifted to the right into its extreme right hand position,

, equal to half the width of the door, the opposite rails of the doorare each recessed as at Sii-56. Also, to facilitate insertion oftherollers 41 and 48 between the door and its supporting track element andto make possible ready replacement of the rollers without necessitatingremoval of the doors from their supporting track elements, it ispreferable to provide the opposite vertical rails of the doorswithremovable inserts 51-51 which are normally held in position by thescrews Sil-58. As in the previously described aps modifications, lateraldisplacement of the doors with respect to their supporting trackelements is `prevented by extending the opposite side walls of thechanneled vertical rails of the doors down wardly, as at 59, slightlybelow the top surfaces of the track elements.

It will be understood, of course, that the invention is susceptible ofvarious changes and modifications other than those hereinbefore denscribed, all of which may be made from time to time, and it isaccordingly intended to claim the present invention broadly, as well asspecically, as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is: 1. In a shower enclosure, incombination, a pair of sliding doors therefor, each having alongitudinally extending channel along its bottom v edge, a track memberextending longitudinally across the base of the opening to be closed bysaid doors, said track member having an upstanding flange extendingalong the outer edge thereof for the full length of the base of saiddoor opening and a pair of laterally spaced parallel track elementsprojecting above the base of said track member, roller means disposedwithin the depending channel of each door and adapted to rest upon theupper surfaces of the said track elements to thereby maintain the saidrollers out of direct contact with any water accumulating onsaid trackmember below the upper surfaces of said track elements, said channel ofeach door being of a depth such that 1ts free edges terminatesubstantially in the horizontal plane of the roller contacting surfaceof the track element associated with the door whereby to effectuallyconceal the roller means from lateral view, and means in said trackmember operative to permit free drainage therefrom of any water that mayaccumulate between and to either side of said track elements.

2. In a shower enclosure, in combination, a pair of sliding doorstherefor 'each having a downwardly presenting channel extendinglongitudinally along its bottom edge, a track member extending acrossthe base of the opening to be closed by said doors, said track memberhaving an upstanding flange extending along the outer edge thereof forthe full length of the base of said door opening and a pair of laterallyspaced parallel track elements projecting above the base of the trackmember upon which said doors are respectively supported and guided,`roller means disposed within the channeled bottom edges of each doorfor rolling engagement with the upper surfaces of said track elements,the lower free edges of the roller receiving channels beingsubstantially ush with the roller contacting surfaces of the trackelements throughout the major `portion of the length of each channel,the opposite ends of said track elements terminating short of thecorresponding ends of the base of the door opening whereby to permit thefree drainage of water from said track member about said terminal endsof the track elements toward the interior of said enclosure, and meansat the opposite extremities of the bottom edgeof each door forpreventing lateral displacement thereof with respect to its associatedtrack element.

3. In a shower enclosure of the character de-f lined in claim 2 whereinsaid last-mentioned means is in the form of extensions of the channelwalls arranged upon opposite sides of each track element and terminatingbelow the roller contacting surfaces thereof.

4. In a shower enclosure, in combination, a pair of sliding doorstherefor, each having a longitudinally extending channel along itsbottom edge, a track member extending longitudinally across the base ofthe opening to be closed by said doors, said track member having anupstanding flange extending along the outer edge thereof for the fulllength of the base of said door opening and a pair of laterally spacedparallel track elements projecting above the base of said track member,roller means disposed within the depending channel 0f each door andadapted to rest upon the upper surfaces of the said track elements tothereby maintain the said rollers out of direct contact with any wateraccumulating on said track member below the upper surfaces of said trackelements, said channel of each door being of a depth such that its freeedges terminate substantially in the horizontal plane of the rollercontacting surface of the track element associated with the door wherebyto eifectually conceal the roller means from lateral view, and means insaid track member operative to permit free'drainage therefrom of any`water that may accumulate between and to either side of said trackelements, said last-mentioned means including drainage passages for thewater extending transversely throughsaid track elements at pointssubstantially surfaces thereof.

LOUIS H. LEHMAN.

below the upper

